Everyday Prayers for Women

By Abingdon

Filled with prayers especially written to encourage women, this collection will lead them in a time of spiritual growth and closeness with God. A perfect gift.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dimensions for Living
• Release date: Sep 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781426750922

Book preview

The Steps of Prayer

First, decide what you really want. The you is important. It must not be a vagrant part of you wandering into the prayer hour with no intention of committing yourself to your prayer request. You cannot pray with a part of yourself and expect God to answer, for God hears what the whole of you is saying . . .

Second, decide whether the thing you want is a Christian thing. God has shown us in Christ what the divine character is like. God is Christ-like. He can only act in a Christ-like way. He cannot answer a prayer that would not fit in with his character . . .

Third, write it down. The writing of the prayer will probably help you in self-committal. For, if you write it, you will probably mean it. The writing of it will also save you from hazy indefiniteness . . . There will come a time, of course, when you may not need to write things down, for they will have written themselves in you . . .

Fourth, still the mind. The stilling of the mind is a step in receptivity. Prayer is pure receptivity in the first stage. As many as received him, to them gave he power. If you come to God all tense, you can get little . . .

Now you are ready for the fifth step: Talk with God about it. "Talk with God, not Talk to God," for it is a two-way conversation. And the most vital part may be, not what you will say to God, but what God will say to you . . .

There is a sixth step: . . . At this point be silent to hear God again, and see if he makes any suggestions to you about your part in answering the prayer. If definite suggestions come to you, then promise that you will carry them out . . .

Seventh, do everything loving that comes to your mind about it! This step is important, for it is a cleansing and clarifying step. The word loving is important. The first fruit of the Spirit is love, and if the suggestion does not fit in with love, then don’t do it. Wait for the suggestion that does fit in.

Eighth: thank God for answering in his own way. God will answer that prayer. No prayers are unanswered. But God may answer no as well as yes. No is an answer, and it may really be next in order leading on to a higher yes.

There is a ninth step: Release the whole prayer from your conscious thinking. Don’t keep the prayer at the center of